Twilight in the Garden
by Undomiel-Estel
Summary: Aragorn and Arwen "talk" in their private garden


Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I just play in their world.  
  
The Palace garden was truly a sight to behold on a warm midsummer's eve. Colorful blooms from all over Middle-Earth filled the grounds attached to the King's private chambers, and it was with great pleasure that the King woke to such a sight every morning.  
  
Arwen, Queen and Elf, shared her husband's love for the garden. Having been reared in both Rivendell and Lothlorien, she held a fondness in her heart for nature. Soon after her marriage to Aragorn, Arwen had grown lonely for the sight of trees and flowers; The imposing towers and wide plains of Minas Tirith would never have filled the ache in her heart, and Aragorn had taken it upon himself to provide his wife with the garden as a means of indulging her more Elvish inclinations.  
  
Arwen had been ecstatic with his gift, and soon after whenever the King would question his wife's location, servants and guards would inform him that she could be found in the garden. Usually she could be sought out there during the early evening. Her days were usually spent with her handmaids, but her nights were her own. She would come to the gardens with a book or just her thoughts, and rest beneath a canopied pavilion Aragorn himself had constructed. Many a night Aragorn had found her there sleeping, lulled by the soft scents of night jasmine and élanor. On such nights he would join her in sleeping under the stars, and the soft rays of the rising sun would wake the slumbering lovers.  
  
For such purposes, Aragorn had restricted the garden to the use of just he and his wife. No other was allowed to enter without permission or summons from the King or Queen. While Aragorn appreciated his duties as King, he was not about to relinquish his private time with his wife for a nagging diplomatic concern.  
  
Now the night was quickly approaching and Aragorn was looking forward to finding his bride in their little safe haven. His day had been long and filled with more aggravation then normal. His need for a brow rub was overwhelming, and he hoped he could talk Arwen into dispensing some wifely affection. He grinned at the thought of his wife's amused smile at his childlike begging, but he knew deep in his heart she would not refuse her husband a bit of tenderness. Both frequently indulged in such actions, and while it amused him to no end to see his wife beg, he also enjoyed the benefits of their game.  
  
Aragorn stepped with a light foot through the deep corridors of the Palace until he finally reached the rooms he shared with Arwen. Turning to one of the posted guards, he asked: "I assume my wife has since returned to her room following this long day?" The guard bowed deeply, nodding his head in ascent and answering with "Ay, your Majesty" as he stood tall again to draw the heavy wooden door open for the King. "We are not to be disturbed, Captain. By anyone. Is that clear?" Nodding again, the guard drew the door closed behind Aragorn. Simling, Aragorn entered the dark chambers and immediately his eyes wandered to the archway leading out into his private courtyard.  
  
Removing his sword and leather cape, Aragorn placed them lightly on a large stone table, noticing a newly poured glass of red wine. Arwen must have sent one of her maids into the many market places to fetch her husbands favorite beverage. He took the offered chalice and sipped it's contents as he walked from the room and out into the garden.  
  
There beneath the crimson colored velvet tapestries and upon on a stone dais, he found Arwen sitting upon a reclining chaise. The lady sat reading a recently published edition of Bilbo's book There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale, and so into the book was she that she did not notice her husband's approach. Using his ranger skills, Aragorn placed his chalice on the soft grass and smoothly and quietly moved up the stone steps of the pavilion. Before she could sense it, Aragorn covered her eyes with his large hands, and knelt beside his wife. Though initially startled, Arwen quickly recognized her husbands smell and her tense body relaxed. Reaching up with her delicate fingers to lower his own rougher hands, she looked up into his eyes and smiled.  
  
"My Lord, you startled me. I did not know of your nearness."  
  
Lowering his head to kiss her softly on her full upper lip, Aragorn grinned.  
  
"Exactly my intention, my Lady."  
  
Arwen allowed him to kiss her again, more deeply and passionately this time. Drawing away from her lips, Aragorn climbed over the low couch to sit on the side Arwen occupied. Pulling his heavy boots from his feet, he grunted at the strain of tired muscles. Arwen took notice of her husband's tightly coiled frame and set about massaging his aching shoulders and neck, leaning him back against her chest and kissing his hair.  
  
"Your day has been full of hardships, I see."  
  
"No, not hardships. Persistent advisors and unhappy delegates ruined a perfectly admirable afternoon."  
  
"You are King. As such you should know the reigns you hold can often tangle in your hands. Some days you may wish the reigns you hold would choke you and put you out of your misery. Such is the lot of leaders."  
  
Closing his hands and relishing in the comfort of her kneading hands, Aragorn sighed. Feeling her cheek against his forehead, he smiled and said, "Well, now at least I can fully understand the constant look of annoyance upon your father's face. Is it of any wonder that he should seem a cantankerous dragon on days when advisors proved to be too much?"  
  
Arwen giggled. Smoothing his dark hair back, she looked at a nearby blooming rose and answered.  
  
"My father took things more seriously then most. After my mother's passage, he lost much of the joy in his heart. It was on a rare day that he proved himself capable of a happy temperament."  
  
"Ai, Meleth-nin. Even our wedding day could not garner much joviality. I would have liked to have seen more smiles grace that noble jaw."  
  
"Estel, you forget. To my father our wedding day meant the loss of his youngest child. Regardless of his belief that you were a good man, and would make a good husband, he was not ready to let me go. In time you will grow to understand that as well. When the time comes, you yourself will have a face of stone the day our daughter weds."  
  
Aragorn opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced when he realized how right his wife was. "You are right, my Queen. I suppose it is futile to argue with one who holds the wisdom of the ages in her bosom."  
  
Smiling jokingly, Arwen replied "You learn quickly, Estel."  
  
Now feeling invigorated thanks to the healing powers of his wife, Aragorn moved from the massage and quickly turned on Arwen. Grabbing her around the waist, Aragorn began to tickle his wife. Her laughter and cries filled the air of the garden just like the scents of the blooms  
  
"Estel! Stop! I cannot breathe, my Lord!" Indeed Arwen's cheeks were flushed and Aragorn paused to look down at his lovely wife. It was true that there was no living being greater in beauty then his wife, and it was at times like these that Aragorn saw her in her highest beauty. It was when she was smiling and happy that Aragorn realized the extent of his love for her.  
  
Leaning over the Elf, Aragorn bent to kiss her. Arwen pressed back against his lips, and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss with her tongue. Raising himself on his elbow, Aragorn broke the kiss to run a hand down the lengths of Arwen's body. Dressed in only a thin layer of navy silk to accomodate the warm twilight air, he could feel the warmth of her body through the fabric. Arwen moaned and arched her back slightly, yearning for more of his touch.  
  
He pressed an open-mouthed kiss on her shoulder, and bit down gently, leaving a brief red mark. Arwen cried out softly and ran her hands through his hair, loosening it from the tie he had been using. Compelled to touch more of his skin, Aragorn drew the shift from Arwen's shoulders, allowing her to slip her arms out of the sleeves. Moving away from her, he slid to the end of the couch and pulled the shift down her body until she was completely revealed to his eyes. Letting the fine material pool on the ground, he rejoined his wife, who set to work robbing him of his own confining clothing.  
  
Her nimble fingers quickly loosened the clasps of his tunic, and soon his trousers joined their discarded garments on the ground.  
  
Rolling onto his back and drawing Arwen on top of him, Aragorn smiled at the sight of her. Her dark hair fell around them, creating a curtain of silkiness. Her skin in comparison, pale and fine, glimmered in the rosy evening light. She met his eyes and his breath caught at the sight of their blue depths. In them he could see her passion and desire, and he found himself willingly drowning in those magnificent orbs.  
  
Before he could speak, Arwen lowered herself onto him, drawing out his breath in a satisfying grunt. Laying upon the velvet of the chaise, he allowed her to set the pace. His hands found sanctuary at her hips, and mesmerized by the softness of her skin, he trailed a hand up along the tightness of her belly to cup her full breast. Placing a hand over his own, she tightened his grip on her breast and threw her head back in ecstacy.  
  
Aragorn could feel himself gracing the edge. It would not be long now, but he could not very well leave his wife unsatisfied. Grasping her hips, he halted her ministrations and raised himself up on one elbow. Leaning down, her hair falling around them, Arwen met his lips in a deep kiss. Gasping, she begged. "Don't stop, Estel. Never stop." Her eyes pleaded with him to continue, and Aragorn could not deny her wishes. He rolled over again and pinned the Elf beneath him.  
  
Holding her hips, Aragorn pushed himself deeper and harder then before. Arwen's cries of pleasure were no longer muffled, and were someone to walk by their chambers, they would well know of the royal couple's activities.  
  
Arwen clung to the cushions, one hand digging into her husbands back, letting her climax flood her senses. With a few more deep thrusts, Aragorn followed her into release, moaning his pleasure into Arwen's neck. Unable to move, he lay with his head upon her breast, breathing deeply. Arwen closed her eyes and smoothed a hand over the marks on the King's back. They were not aware of how long they stayed like that, entangled in each other's arms and legs, but a growing need for food finally drew Aragorn out of his spent state.  
  
"I don't know of your need, M'lady, but I confess dinner and a nap sound highly desirable right now."  
  
Arwen stretched the best of her ability while her husband still covered her frame with his body. "I do believe I could be persuaded to eat." At that, Aragorn's stomach rumbled loudly, and Arwen laughed. "Perhaps we should eat now so that you do not starve."  
  
"I will not starve at length, wife. One appetite has already been filled." With that, Aragorn sat up and grabbed their clothes from the ground. Helping his wife from the chaise and wrapping her in her shift, he quickly pulled his trousers up over his lean hips. Walking together from the garden and into their bedroom, Aragorn waited until his wife had robbed herself fully before he opened the door.  
  
He found a red-faced batch of guards all unwilling to meet him in the eye. Amused, the King turned to the Captain and said: "Is something wrong?"  
  
The captain cleared his throat, shaking his head and perfecting his stance. He looked at the King briefly, before looking back to the ground.  
  
"No, my Lord. Nothing is amiss."  
  
Aragorn smirked. "You all seem as though you heard something unexpected."  
  
Several of the guards shifted uncomfortably. The captain pulled at his neckline, and shook his head. "Well, my Lord, in truth one of the guards was concerned for the safety of her Majesty. He heard screams and though she might be in need of assistance. He is very young and unaware of these matters. I was presently away, and upon being called back for advice and hearing the sounds myself, I was forced to explain to the boy that you were seeing to the Queen's needs."  
  
Aragorn laughed outright, patting the Captain on the back. "Ai. You may inform him that the Queen no longer requires help, for I have seen fit that her needs be met. However, you may make yourself useful in some capacity and have food brought to the Queen and I. We have been busy with important talk, and would care for a bit of dinner."  
  
"Of course, King Aragorn. At once."  
  
Turning back into the room, Aragorn shut the door, all the while smiling. It would be awhile before his guards looked him in the eyes, he suspected. 


End file.
